It was June, 1963. I had completed 3 full years at Marquette University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Impressive, huh!. Actually, like Paul, I was glad to be moving on to my first real job and “living”. George and Lyla were anxious to throw us out of their home in Plymouth.
In 1963, engineers were in demand. The Marquette campus had a steady flow of companies coming in to interview engineering graduates. Some classmates did interviews just for the short vacation trips. You know, plant visits in San Diego but never really intend to take the job. San Francisco, Orlando and Atlanta were popular places to visit. I really wasn’t interested in chasing around the country but I did need to do enough interviews to get my first job. It came down to two companies. United Technologies in Hartford, Conn. offered me a engineering design position in their aircraft division for $630 per month. Allis-Chalmers in Milwaukee offered me a job in a “trainee” position where I could experience several engineering related jobs and eventually “take my pick”. Their offer was $570 per month with a $30 per month increase after 60 days. So Allis-Chalmers did not offer the most financially, but there seemed to be a lot more opportunity. So I took it.
I remember my start date, June 16, 1963. By that date, your mom and I, Debs, and Kelly (Christopher on the way) moved into an apartment on north 62nd street near Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee. Allis-Chalmers had sent me a complimentary parking pass for the first week and I remember looking for the proper parking lot. It was 8 blocks from the main office. This was a temporary parking location. I learned later that you had to apply for a parking spot and it took at least 2 years to get your own location. Allis-Chalmers had 12,000-15,000 people in the Milwauke suburb of West Allis. That was twice the size of Plymouth, Wisconsin. I found a street parking location 6 blocks from the plant and used it for over 4 years. I never did get a parking pass.
My first week was orientation to all the divisions and product lines of Allis-Chalmers. I joined 40 other engineers that began employment at the same time. We were all part of the Graduate Training Course (GTC). So for one week we gathered in a big auditorium and saw slide presentations, heard speeches about how great Allis-Chalmers was and got to meet lots of people. At the end of the first week, each engineer had to choose an open position in a department needing help. Somehow I got into the Processing Equipment Division as a Sales Engineer specializing in equipment for the sand & gravel, coal, and iron ore mining businesses.
It was a great starting job. It provided lots of good information, most of it on what I didn’t want. I didn’t what to work for a huge company where you can’t get a parking spot for 2 years. I didn’t want a large bureaucratic orgainization where you can get lost in the maze of people. Life had to have more to offer.
So in 1967, I made the move to Vollrath Company in Sheboygan and the rest is history. Vollrath did provide the opportunity I was looking for.
Allis-Chalmers was a good place for an inexperienced young engineer to start. I got to learn several businesses, I traveled around the country visiting customers and I started working on my Master Degree in Business at Marquette. When I left Allis-Chalmers, after 4 years, I was making $830 per month. My salary had grown a total of 40% over 4 years. Not bad! They really did like me and didn’t want me to leave. The decision to move on had more to do with wanting more opportunity.
I don’t know if the job market for engineers in still as strong as it was in 1963 but it seems good engineers are always in demand. Mechanical Engineering turned out to be a great choice for a “basic area” of expertise.
The closest analogy to my experience would be Margaret’s in Minneapolis. She didn’t start with a big company but she was in a large city like Milwaukee and it is easy to get overwhelmed by the big size of everything. She has stayed in the big city but is on her 3rd job. Why did she take her new position? It offered opportunity!
I never regretted reaching out for more opportunity. It was sometimes scary. It was always rewarding. It all began in June, 1963.
Love,
Dad